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Should Oral Contraceptives Be Sold Without a Prescription? An Analysis of Women’s Risk and Benefit Perceptions Regarding Nonprescription Birth Control Pills

Pharmacy and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, St. John’s University, Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11439nayakr{at}stjohns.edu

David Brushwood, RPh, JD

College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Carole Kimberlin, PhD

Department of Pharmacy Health Care Administration, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Despite expert opinions favoring a switch of oral contracepwho were surveyed, 37% favored the acquisition of OCs with-tives (OCs) from prescription to over-the-counter (OTC) staout a prescription. Women associated the OTC system for obtus, limited empirical evidence currently exists for indicating taining OCs with increased likelihood of adverse medical a consumer preference for nonprescription OCs. The objec-consequences and the prescription-only system with an intive of this study was to measure perceptions of women re-creased likelihood of pregnancy avoidance. Women who pregarding nonprescription OCs and to assess their preference ferred nonprescription pills reported more favorable attifor acquiring OCs without a prescription. A cross-sectional tudes toward their use and stronger intentions to buy them survey research design employing a combination of mail and without a prescription. Perceptions of OC benefits seem to telephone survey methodologies was used to measure per-play a more significant role in decisions to favor nonprescripceptions, beliefs, and attitudes of a randomly selected sample tion pills than the perceptions of OC risks for those women of university women (N = 500) regarding the consequences of who preferred OTC pills. Currently, the support for nonpre-using OCs with and without a prescription. Of the women scription OCs among women is only moderate.

Key Words: Oral contraceptives • birth control pills • nonprescription • OTC • attitudes

Journal of Pharmacy Practice, Vol. 18, No. 6, 479-485 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0897190005280522


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